Emac not Booting no lights

I think this is the right forum, but I have a emac that isn't booting. I plugged it in and press the power button, nothing... No lights, sounds, or pictures. Does anyone know what is wrong, I would like to know. Is so what do I need to do to fix it.

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If the machine has been sitting unplugged for an extended period (more than a few weeks), then the PRAM chip will have to draw from the backup battery instead of trickle power from the wall. Once the PRAM battery is low, the data on the PRAM chip becomes scrambled.

Since the PRAM chip contains important data the Mac needs at boot (what day is it? what time is it? what disc should I boot from? what screen resolution should I use? etc.), a low PRAM battery can cause serious problems. By removing the PRAM battery and pressing the reset button on the logic board, we can at least set the PRAM chip to factory defaults (Aug 27, 1956; midnight; internal hard drive; 1280x960; etc.) so the machine can boot normally.

You'll have to set the date & time under the System Preferences once you boot, and either (a) reset date & time every time the machine is removed from wall current, (b) set System Preferences to check a time server over the Internet, or (c) replace the PRAM battery with a fresh one from Radio Shack, Interstate Battery, or someplace similar.

If this *doesn't* fix the problem, report back and we'll try some other simple diagnostics before we panic.

Sorry, no luck. Sorry, I forgot to tell you that the previous owner bumped it really hard against some furniture and the back fell off? Oh and it also was really abused by them, all sorts of cosmetic damages are present, the back plastic was taped on and fell off, the speaker covers were gone and the keyboard and mouse were dirty beyond belief. Perhapes there are other things wrong, I will try to open it up.

I managed to open the case. There are little pieces of glass scattered around. The switch that you use to turn on the computer the pins are bent. When you shake it can can hear things rattling around inside. I even found a bouncy ball that rolled out of the computer. There are brown marks on the inside of the white shell.

Practically speaking, not really. Access to the pins you'd need to short to switch the machine on would require running the machine without the cowl (you've been calling it the "back"), which would expose some extremely high-voltage parts. Not a good idea.

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2) is it dangerous to work with this equipment

In a word, yes.

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3) can I still turn it on even thought the monitor appears broken

I wouldn't recommend it.

I'd say at this point that you should salvage what parts might still be viable: the drives, the RAM, the logic board assembly. You might be able to help someone (maybe even yourself) breathe new life into another 1.25GHz eMac. Think of this one as an organ donor.

These units did have an issue with leaky capacitors on the logic board. There are quite a few units out there that have perfectly good CRTs, but dead logic boards. Your logic board assembly might be all that's needed.

Also note that if you have *any* swollen or leaking capacitors on your logic board, that this project is dead in the water. I've seen as many as nine blown caps on a logic board, but all it takes is one. Capacitors look like little tiny soda cans. The flat circular side facing you should be flat and clean, not bulging or exhibiting any rust-colored stains.

A board *could* be re-capped with new capacitors by anybody with the right parts, the proper experience, a soldering iron, and the patience of Job, but finding the parts and the expertise is the trickiest part.

For the moment, we'll presume you have a live logic board. Check with local high schools and colleges (particularly design departments). You can also check with electronic recyclers, Craigslist, and Freecycle. There are some eMac carcasses around that should fit the bill.

I had an eMac with a missing switch. I just let the wire hang out through the hole where the switch used to be. It had a plug so to turn it on, I just shorted two of the contacts in the plug. It was a little inconvenient but just as I was planning on installing a switch, I came across a free dead eMac.Still, I did use it for a couple of months without a switch.

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